Spotlight returns to special opportunity model announced almost a year ago.

EFFORT to interest Amarok buyers into a version with a sporty Ford petrol powerplant – but not the biggest one found in Ranger - has renewed.

Highest spend Aventura specification is the sole choice with the 2.3-litre variant.

Having originally positioned at $90,000 when announced at the Amarok’s national launch last May, this edition has gone up to $93,0000 - lineball with the V6 turbodiesel topping the purely double cab line-up.

All Amaroks are nonetheless cheaper than they were prior to December 31, in that before then they attracted a Clean Car penalty of thousands of dollars that loaded onto the recommended retails. That’s now gone.

Output-wise, the six-cylinder oiler is still Amaro’s big gun, in that it has an edge on the most useful asset for a working ute - torque.

Indeed, only one of Amarok’s diesels - the single turbo 2.0-litre - cranks less torque than the petrol four’s 452Nm. The V6 diesel has 600Nm and the biturbo four has 500Nm.

Where the tables are turned are for power, the petrol cracking out 222kW against 184kW from the V6, which has more than the four-pot oilers.

All, of course, bow to the twin turbo V6 petrol that is the pinnacle of performance for this truck, but not behind the VW badge. Ford alone reserves rights to the 292kW/583Nm 3.0-litre EcoBoost, used exclusively by its Raptor.

Both VW engines are married to 10-speed transmissions and the $90k zone product has permanent four-wheel-drive, rather than the part-time system that allies to the 2.0-litre diesels.

Who will buy the Aventura petrol? A year ago, VW Commercials NZ believed it would be niche, attracting at best one in 10 sales. Now they’re suggesting five percent of overall volume.

An initial order of just 25 ordered increased to 30 - those vehicles are now back in the spotlight.

They arrived in October and half have so far been accounted for. The remainder are now the subject of a media release extolling the type’s virtues that came out yesterday.

Will the petrol be continued once current stock is exhausted? Says Vw Commercials marketing manager Kirsty Judd: “Given the popularity we are likely to continue bringing it in, but continuing in a limited volume. The petrol variant will continue to be a niche part of the Amarok range.

“Our most popular model is the Amarok Aventura V6 accounting for one third of all sales. With the discontinuation of the Clean Car Discount, we can expect commercial vehicle sales to increase across the entire market.”

The release expressed thought demand for the petrol will be more from recreational than roll-up-your-sleeves users.

The distributor has gone so far as to suggest it can be considered “the perfect city ute” - a tag that will be a red rag to those who rail against urban-domiciled one-tonners.

The Aventura specification definitely conforms to trophy truck expectation; it has the most chrome, the largest wheels and also delivers a leather interior with heated seats (and steering wheel) and takes a booming Harmon Kardon stereo.

VW Commercials has also reminded the type is best provisioned active and passive safety assists.

The 2.3-litre is - like every other powerplant adopted by the latest Amarok - a Ford engine, and though not one availing in Ranger. It is familiar to Kiwis nonetheless, having availed here in the Mustang and the Focus ST.

The most obvious visual difference between a petrol and diesel Aventura is the wheel size; 20-inch on diesel, 21s on petrol.

VW Commercial NZ has previously indicated interest in taking Amarok in Raptor specification, if it ever availed, but might have a better chance with gaining a VW edition of the Ranger plug-in hybrid.

That early-2025 derivative is being solely built at the Ford plant in Silverton, South Africa, that also is the sourcing point of NZ-market Amarok.